Sharon Field, 56, died after a head-on collision on the A11 at Barton Mills when a blood clot caused her to lose control of her vehicle

A woman lost control of her car and suffered fatal injuries because of a blood clot in her leg, an inquest has heard.

Sharon Field, 56, was driving on the A11 at Barton Mills when the crash occurred on April 1, an inquest at Bury St Edmunds was told today (Wednesday).

Mrs Field, a receptionist, of Meadow Way, Offley, near Hitchin, sustained severe brain injuries when her VW Passatt car was involved in a head-on collision with a lorry.

She was taken to a specialist unit at Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge where she died the following day.

Despite the severity of her injuries, doctors said that the effects of a deep vein thrombosis already existing in her leg would have in any event proved fatal.

Suffolk Coroner Dr Peter Dean said a specialist had concluded that the effects of the clot “clearly caused her to lose control of the vehicle.”

The inquest heard how lorry driver Albert Bennett had been travelling through roadworks close to the Fiveways roundabout when the car driven by Mrs Field crossed from the opposite side of the road and collided head-on with his vehicle.

As a result of the impact Mrs Field’s car rebounded and struck a Citroen Picasso car which had been travelling behind her.

In a statement, Mr Bennett said he had been unable to avoid the collision. No defects were found with his lorry or the VW Passatt which could have contributed to the accident, said PC Kevin Hale who was involved in the subsequent investigation.

A post mortem examination showed that Mrs Field died as a result of a traumatic brain injury and a DVT.

The Coroner recorded a narrative conclusion that Mrs Field died from the combined effects of traumatic brain injury and a DVT.